Jesse Swanson is a main character in Pitch Perfect and a supporting character in Pitch Perfect 2. He is an aspiring member of The Treblemakers and the love interest and eventual boyfriend of Beca Mitchell. In the sequel, he is the leader of the Trebles and in a long term relationship with Beca. He is portrayed by actor and singer Skylar Astin.
Biography
Pitch Perfect
Jesse joins the The Treblemakers and later becomes the lead singer when Bumper ditches the group to sing backup for John Mayer. After the 2012 ICCA Finals, Jesse is revealed to have become the leader of the Treblemakers, appearing at that year's a cappella auditions.
Freshly graduated from high school, Jesse enrolls at Barden University, where he auditions for the Barden Treblemakers, and subsequently gets in. Jesse spends most of the movie trying to get close to Beca Mitchell.
He also always looks out for her, although she eventually snaps and tells him to back off and stop. Utterly shattered, he completely breaks down, going into a depression, rarely leaving his room and becoming visibly unkempt.
Beca visits Jesse to apologize, but he rebuffs her, telling her to "figure it out." At the finals, Jesse becomes the leader of the Treblemakers, retaining his position as lead singer, along with Benji Applebaum. As the Bellas sing Beca's set list, they sing the theme song to The Breakfast Club. Watching them sing the song allows Jesse to accept Beca's apology and they reconcile their differences with a kiss.
Pitch Perfect 2
He is now a senior student and currently still in a relationship with Beca also the leader of the Treblemakers. He performs during the orientation and supportively criticized his best friend Benji when he is incapable of controlling himself in front of Emily Junk, a freshman Benji take an interest in. Jesse is the only person Beca trusts to know that she secretly joins an internship at a music studio. A supportive Jesse even drive her there. Later, he hosts the hood night party for acapella groups (which for most of the characters, is their last) and Chloe asks if Beca is with Jesse, in which Jesse ask her back in confusion. After Beca arrived, he asks Beca how's her internship and why she didn't tell Chloe about it. He appears again near the end of the movie, going to Copenhagen with Benji to watch and support the Bellas in their World Championship. He share the flashlights to audience and everyone light it up during the Bellas' performance of Flashlight.
Personality
Jesse is friendly and very outgoing, displaying a very jovial, extroverted nature. He quickly befriends his socially awkward roommate, Benji Applebaum, and is quick to be friends with Beca. Jesse is very loyal and a passionate singer, eventually auditioning and getting into the Barden Treblemakers.
His loyalty becomes apparent as Jesse backs up Beca whenever she gets into trouble, though she seems to be more annoyed than grateful for this. Jesse, though, knows when to take the hint. After Beca snaps at Jesse, saying that she doesn't need his help, he starts to back off, even rejecting her apology, though they eventually reconcile and become a couple.
Jesse is also an avid movie fan, his favorite movies are Jaws, Million Dollar Baby, The Breakfast Club, Rocky, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Relationships
Beca Mitchell
- Relationship status: Broken Up
Beca is Jesse's very close friend who later on became his girlfriend. They share a very close relationship together, as Jesse's always looking out for her, and comforts Beca when she's down. Jesse first met Beca when both has just arrived on campus, where Jesse is jamming to a music. They met again when Beca entered an internship at the Barden radio station, where Jesse also take an intern. During the hood night, Jesse flirts with Beca when he might have been drunk. From there, they become good friends as Jesse introduces his favorite films to Beca while hanging out. The blossoming friendship turns sour when Beca drive Jesse away after he contacted Beca's father to bail her out. When Jesse tries to defend Beca from Aubrey's rant after the regionals, Beca is angry at Jesse and tells him off, telling him to stop intervering with her business and eventually leaving the Bellas. As Beca realizes that she cares about Jesse and the group, she tries to apologize to Jesse, but he rejects her apology. She made a second strike at apology by performing his favorite song "Don't You Forget About Me" from his favorite movie "The Breakfast Club", which is enough for Jesse to accept her apology. They reconcile and kiss, making them officially dating.
In Pitch Perfect 2, they have been in a long term relationship. He showed his support to Beca when she entered an internship at a recording studio, which Beca has not tell anyone yet except for him. He questions her why she hasn't tell Chloe about the internship and as it is obvious he knows that Beca didn't tell her because Chloe is unlikely to accept anything distracting them for the worlds, Beca tell him that she will tell her later. He attends the World Championship in Copenhagen with Benji to show big support for the Bellas and especially, his girlfriend Beca.
In Pitch Perfect 3, it is said that he and Beca broke up and he has moved on to a new girlfriend as mentioned by Beca. They couldn't handle a long distance relationship as she lives in New York after they graduated from Barden University.
Benji Applebaum
- Relationship status: Best friends, roommates
Benji has been Benji's closest friends since day one despite their huge different social skills. The more outgoing and cooler Jesse doesn't seem to mind hanging out with outcasts (in contrast with Bumper Allen and The Trebles) and doesn't seem bothered with Benji's magic trick properties in their room and his odd antics. They both audition for The Treblemakers, and obviously only Jesse manage to got in. He is slightly dissapointed that Benji didn't make it. Benji understands Jesse's sadness at not giving Beca a shot at forgiveness. When Bumper egostically left the Trebles to be a back-up singer for John Mayer, Jesse quickly offers the empty spot to Benji, but not before telling him to stop being weird in front of the Trebles. He agrees and as of the ICCAs finale, both has become members of The Treblemakers together.
In the sequel, Benji introduce himself to Emily, but he is so mesmerized by her he couldn't finished it without being awkward. Jesse pull his friend aside and ask him to explain himself. They attend their last hood night together. At the end of the film, they go to Copenhagen together to watch and support the Bellas at the World Championship while Benji finally get his feelings for Emily returned.
Minor Relationships
Jesse has some noticable interactions with the members of rival group The Barden Bellas.
Aubrey Posen
Aubrey take a dislike on Jesse solely on the fact that he is a member of The Treblemakers and she notices his and Beca's growing friendship and possible romantic affiliation. Before they are even dating, she shouts to Beca that she knows they're close to each other. When Jesse's about to clarify things however Beca shuts him off, ending their friendship.
Chloe Beale
They don't interract much in the first film, and in the second film after Jesse greet and welcome the Bellas to the hood night, Chloe ask him where's Beca because she thought that Beca was with Jesse while he in return thought that Beca was with Chloe, much to both's confusion.
Emily Junk
After the Trebles perform at the orientation in Pitch Perfect 2, Emily greets him and he kindly respond and ask her if she likes acapella, in which she replies she does and being a Bella is on top of her list when Benji barges in and awkwardly introduce himself to her. A concerned Jesse clarifies his statement to her and quickly pull him away from her and ask him to explain himself.
Jesse has interacted with his fellow Treblemakers and other characters as well and here are some of them.
Bumper Allen
- Relationship status: Friends
From the beginning, the cocky Bumper and his Trebles have taken a liking on Jesse since he fits their description of being a Trebles. Although Jesse may have a dislike towards Bumper, he never really shows it since Bumper is the leader and technically never made any problems with him. Jesse quickly responds to Bumper's sudden departure by bringing Benji in to the Trebles. They don't interract at all during the second film.
Luke
- Relationship status: Employee/Rival
Trivia
- He and Benji are co-leaders of the Treblemakers as of Pitch Perfect 2.
- It was confirmed by Skylar Astin that Jesse and The Treblemakers won't appear in Pitch Perfect 3 before the production even began. He says that the writers took a different direction for the third movie.